The document provides information about modeling and simulation approaches to support policymaking. It discusses complexity in real-world systems and the limitations of simplistic models. It covers adaptive robust decision-making using systems modeling and compares microsimulation, agent-based, and other modeling approaches. Key topics include building models, incorporating uncertainty, and using models to design adaptive policies.

1. Chapters 4,5 and 6
Into policymaking and modeling in a complex world
From Building a model to adaptive robust decision- making
using systems modelling
Features and added value of simulation Models using different
modelling approaches supporting policymaking: A comparative
analysis.
Chapter Goals and Objectives Overall – students will learn and
understand
consequences of complexity in the real-world, and meaningful
ways to understand and manage such situations
the implications of complexity and that many social systems
are unpredictable by nature, especially when in the presence of
structural change (transitions)
natural tendency to criticize the approaches that ignore
difficulties and pretend to predict using simplistic models
that managing a complex system requires a good understanding
of the dynamics of the system in question—to know, before they
occur, some of the real possibilities that might occur and be
ready so they can be reacted to as responsively as possible.
4. Policymaking and modeling in a complex world
the word “complexity” can be used to indicate a variety of kinds
of difficulties
identification of complexity and uncertainty in policy-making
in very simple physical systems, interactions may give rise to
complex behavior, expressed in different types of behavior,
ranging from very stable to chaotic

2. reasons why complex adaptive systems have a strong capacity
to self-organize
two of the ways systems are oversimplified: quantification and
compartmentalization
models are assessed by their ability to predict/mirror observed
aspects of the environments
5. From building a model to adaptive robust decision-making
using systems modeling
System Dynamics Modeling and Simulation of Old
✓ methods for modeling and simulating dynamically complex
systems
✓ evolutions in modeling and simulation with recent explosive
growth in computational power, data, social media, to support
decision-making
Recent Innovations and Expected Evolutions
✓ Why often seemingly more revolutionary—innovations have
been introduced and demonstrated, but that they have not been
massively adopted yet
Current and Expected Evolutions
✓ Three current evolutions expected to further reinforce -
“experiential art” to “computational science.”
Future State of Practice of Systems Modeling and Simulation
✓ modeling and simulation with sparse data to modeling and
simulation with (near real-time) big data;
✓ simulating and analyzing a few simulation runs to simulating
and simultaneously analyzing well-selected ensembles of runs;
✓ using models for intuitive policy testing to using models as
instruments for designing adaptive robust robust policies;
✓ developing educational flight simulators to fully integrated
decision support.
Features and added value of simulation models using different
modelling approaches to policy-making: A Comparative

3. analysis
Foundations of Simulation Modelling
✓ model simplification definitions—smaller, less detailed, less
complex,
Analysis of Simulation Models of Different Modelling
Approaches
✓ main goal – describe and compare different simulation
models to identify similarities,
✓ Identification of the differences that suggest useful
approaches, tools and techniques
✓ present a comparative analysis of different simulation models
with respect to their role in public decision-making processes
✓ investigate the differences between simulation models and
underlying modelling theories to find variables that impact
effectiveness of simulation models in policy-making ✓ main
benefits – provide an understanding of the peculiarities and the
added value of different kinds of simulation models generated
on the basis of particular modelling approaches
✓ Demonstrate how existing approaches to policy simulation
can be combined to effectively support public policy-making in
a comprehensive way
6. Features and added value of simulation Cont.…
MicroSim—Micro-simulation Model: Modelling the Swedish
Population
✓ event-driven micro-simulation model with discrete time steps,
✓ developed for exploring the impact of different intervention
policies based on vaccination, isolation and social distancing
Ocopomo’s Kosice Case – capture the behavior of key
stakeholders, decisionmakers towards a new energy policy, and
better housing alternatives using renewable energy sources
SKIN—Simulating Knowledge Dynamics in Innovation
Networks
✓ SKIN is an agent-based model used to understand innovation
policy initiatives

4. ✓ contains heterogeneous agents that act and interact in a large-
scale complex and changing social environment
✓ involved agents represent innovative actors that try to sell
their innovations to other agents to produce their outputs
• Simulation Models and Discussion: Added Value Limitations
of Models
– due to social complexity and non-linearity, it is difficult to
describe processes and systems analytically (Gilbert and
Troitzsch, 2005) – micro-simulation models are based on a
weighted sum of a representative sample of the population
– consider characteristics of individuals and are able to
reproduce social reality (Martini and Trivellato, 1997).
– can predict short-term and long-term impact of policies
(Gilbert and Troitzsch 2005).
– micro-simulation models are costly to build and complex,
especially at the level of data analysis requirements
References:
Janssen, M., et al. (eds.), Policy Practice and Digital Science,
Public Administration and Information Technology 10, DOI
10.1007/978-3-319-12784-2_1
Appendix A:
Brief Guide to Microsoft Project
Professional 2016
Note: This guide was written using the free trial of Microsoft
Project Professional 2016 and Windows 10 in
2016. Your screens may appear slightly different. The files and

5. instructions in this guide will work with
Project Online Professional. The purpose of this guide is to
provide current or future project managers with
hands-on experience in using a popular and powerful project
management software tool.
June 2018 update: Check with your instructor about using
Microsoft Project. Microsoft changes which free
trials are available and updates software frequently. As of June
2018, you can access a 30-day free trial of
Project Online Professional. Many schools may provide access
as well.
Published by Schwalbe Publishing in Minneapolis, MN, April
2016, with slight changes made in June 2018.
Permission is granted to Cengage to provide this edition for
instructors and students using Information
Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition by Kathy
Schwalbe. This appendix is also available free from
Schwalbe Publishing at www.kathyschwalbe.com or
www.pmtexts.com along with the link to Microsoft’s
site, files mentioned in this appendix, and many other resources.
Detailed Table of Contents
Introduction
...............................................................................................
............................................................. 1
Project Management Software
...............................................................................................

6. ............................... 1
Basic Features of Project Management Software
..............................................................................................
2
What’s new in Project Professional 2016
...............................................................................................
............. 3
Using Project Professional 2016
...............................................................................................
........................... 5
Before You Begin
...............................................................................................
............................................... 5
Using the 60-day Trial of Project Professional 2016:
.................................................................................. 5
Overview of Project Professional 2016
...............................................................................................
.......... 6
Getting Started and Finding Help
...............................................................................................
.............. 6
Understanding the Main Screen Elements
..............................................................................................
7
Exploring Project Professional 2016 Using a Template File
........................................................................... 8
Project Professional 2016
Views.....................................................................................
.............................. 11
Project Professional 2016 Reports
...............................................................................................
................ 13
Project Professional 2016 Filters

7. ...............................................................................................
................... 15
Creating a New File and Entering Tasks in a Work Breakdown
Structure ................................................. 16
Creating a New Project File
...............................................................................................
............................ 16
Creating a Work Breakdown Structure Hierarchy
..................................................................................... 17
Creating Summary Tasks
............................................................................. ..................
................................ 19
Numbering Tasks
...............................................................................................
............................................. 20
Saving Project Files without a Baseline
...............................................................................................
........ 20
Developing the Schedule
...............................................................................................
...................................... 21
Calendars
...............................................................................................
........................................................... 21
Entering Task Durations
...............................................................................................
................................ 23
Manual and Automatic Scheduling
...............................................................................................
.......... 23
Duration Units and Guidelines for Entering
Durations...................................................................... 24

8. Entering Task Durations
...............................................................................................
................................ 26
Establishing Task Dependencies
...............................................................................................
................... 29
Gantt Charts, Network Diagrams, and Critical Path Analysis
................................................................. 33
Project Cost and Resource Management
...............................................................................................
........... 36
Entering Fixed and Variable Cost Estimates
..............................................................................................
36
Entering Fixed Costs in the Cost Table
...............................................................................................
.. 36
Entering Resource Information and Cost Estimates
........................................................................... 37
Using the Team Planner Feature
...............................................................................................
.............. 40
Using the New Resource Engagement Feature
.................................................................................... 42
Entering Baseline Plans, Actual Costs, and Actual Times
........................................................................ 42
Viewing Earned Value Management Data
...............................................................................................
......... 45
Integrating Project Professional 2016 with Other Applications
and Apps for Office .............................. 46
Copying Information between Applications

9. ...............................................................................................
46
Creating Hyperlinks to Other Files
...............................................................................................
............... 48
Using Project Professional 2016 Apps
...............................................................................................
......... 49
Synching with Project Server and Project Online
...................................................................................... 50
Discussion Questions
...............................................................................................
........................................... 51
Exercises
...............................................................................................
................................................................. 51
End Notes
...............................................................................................
.............................................................. 52
Schwalbe Publishing, Copyright
2018 1
INTRODUCTION
There are hundreds of project management software products on
the market today. “The Project Portfolio
Management (PPM) market size is expected to grow from USD
2.52 Billion in 2015 to USD 4.63 Billion by
2020, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.9%.”1

10. Leading vendors include Microsoft, CA
Technologies, HP, Oracle (who acquired Primavera), Planview,
and SAP. Many smaller companies also
provide their own products. Unfortunately, many people who
own this type of software have little idea how
to use it. It is important to understand basic concepts of project
management, such as creating a work
breakdown structure, determining task dependencies, assigning
resources, setting up project portfolios, and so
on before making effective use of PPM software. Many project
teams still use spreadsheets or other familiar
software to help manage projects. However, if you can master a
good project management software tool, it
can really help in managing projects. This appendix summarizes
basic information on project management
software in general. It also provides a brief guide to using
Microsoft Project Professional 2016, the latest
version of this popular software.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
As described at the end of Chapter 1, there are three basic
categories of project management software based
on their capabilities: low-end, midrange, and high-end tools.
The market size mentioned by Gartner is for
Project Portfolio Management (PPM) software, or the high-end
category. It is often used across large
organizations to manage thousands of projects while also
providing portfolio management features. Low-end
tools today are often free or very inexpensive, and most are
available online. For example, popular tools
include Basecamp, Trello, Zoho Projects, and Wrike, to name a
few. Several low-end tools focus on project
team collaboration and coordination and may not have features
like critical path analysis, resource allocation,
and status reporting, like mid-range and high-end tools do.

11. Microsoft Project Professional 2016 is considered to be a
midrange tool. It is only one of Microsoft’s
offerings in the project management realm as of 2016. Figure A-
1 provides a summary of the “plans” or
options for project management software available just from
Microsoft. Notice that the options focus on who
will be using the software and what type of features are needed.
Often an organization needs a combination
of tools. For example, project managers might focus on using
Project Professional synced with Project
Online, team members might use Project Lite, and PMO staff
and executives might use Project Online. Now
more than ever, deciding what project management software to
use is a project in itself!
Because this text focuses on work done by project managers and
the software is available as a free
trial, this Appendix provides a guide for using Project
Professional 2016.
Schwalbe Publishing, Copyright
2018 2
Figure A-1. Microsoft Project Options, Source: Microsoft,
April 2016
(https://products.office.com/en-us/project/compare-microsoft-
project-management-software)
BASIC FEATURES OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT

12. SOFTWARE
What makes project management software different from other
software tools? Why not just use a
spreadsheet to help manage projects?
You can do a lot of project management planning and tracking
using non-project management
software. You could use a simple word processor to list tasks,
resources, dates, and so on. If you put that
information into a spreadsheet, you can easily sort it, graph it,
and perform other functions. A relational
Schwalbe Publishing, Copyright
2018 3
database tool (such as Microsoft Access) could provide even
more manipulation of data. You can also use
email, social media, and other tools to collaborate with others.
However, project management software is designed specifically
for managing projects, so it normally
includes several distinct and important features not found in
other software products:
• Creating work breakdown structures, Gantt charts, and
network diagrams: As mentioned in this text, a
fundamental concept of project management is breaking down
the scope of the project into a work
breakdown structure (WBS). The WBS is the basis for creating
the project schedule, normally shown
as a Gantt chant. The Gantt chart shows start and end dates of
tasks as well as dependencies between

13. tasks, which are more clearly shown in a network diagram.
Project management software makes it
easy to create a WBS, Gantt chart, and network diagram. These
features help the project manager
and team visualize the project at various levels of detail.
• Integrating scope, time, and cost data: The WBS is a key tool
for summarizing the scope of a project, and
the Gantt chart summarizes the time or schedule for a project.
Project management software allows
you to assign cost and other resources to activities on the WBS,
which are tied to the schedule. This
allows you to create a cost baseline and use earned value
management to track project performance
in terms of scope, time, and cost in an integrated fashion.
• Setting a baseline and tracking progress: Another important
concept of project management is preparing a
plan and measuring progress against the plan. Project
management software lets you track progress
for each activity. The tracking Gantt chart is a nice tool for
easily seeing the planned and actual
schedule, and other views and reports show progress in other
areas.
• Providing other advanced project management features:
Project management software often provides other
advanced features, such as setting up different types of
scheduling dependencies, determining the
critical path and slack for activities, working with multiple
projects, and leveling resources. For
example, you can easily set up an activity to start when its
predecessor is halfway finished. After
entering dependencies, the software should easily show you the
critical path and slack for each
activity. You can also set up multiple projects in a program and

14. perform portfolio management
analysis with some products. Many project management
software products also allow you to easily
adjust resources within their slack allowances to create a
smoother resource distribution. These
advanced features unique to project management are rarely
found in other software tools.
As you can see, there are several important features that are
unique to project management software
that make them worth using. Next you’ll learn what’s new in
Project Professional 2016 and how to use basic
features.
WHAT’S NEW IN PROJECT PROFESSIONAL 2016
If you are familiar with Project Professional 2013 or earlier
versions, it may be helpful to review some of the
new features in Project Professional 2016. An easy way to do
this is by using one of the new features – a tab
on the ribbon called “Tell me what you want to do.” Figure A-2
shows the results after typing in “What’s
new” and then selecting “Get started.” Figure A-3 summarizes
the results after selecting “What’s new in
Project 2016.”
Schwalbe Publishing, Copyright
2018 4
Figure A-2. Finding what’s new with the Tell me what you want
to do feature

15. More flexible timelines
With Project 2016, not only can you leverage multiple timelines
to illustrate different phases or
categories of work, but you can also set the start and end dates
for each timeline separately, to paint
a clearer overall picture of the work involved.
Better control over resource scheduling
Some resources have limited availability, and may have their
time scheduled by a resource manager.
With Project Professional 2016 and Project Online, project
managers and resource managers can
negotiate an agreement, called a resource engagement, to make
sure that resources are being used
appropriately and effectively throughout your organization.
Do things quickly with Tell Me
You'll notice a text box on the ribbon in Project 2016 that says
Tell me what you want to do. This is a
text field where you can enter words and phrases related to what
you want to do next and quickly get
to features you want to use or actions you want to perform. You
can also choose to get help related
to what you're looking for.

16. New themes for Project
There are now three Office themes that you can apply to Project
2016: Colorful, Dark Gray, and White.
Figure A-3. What’s New in Project 2016
Schwalbe Publishing, Copyright
2018 5
Next, you will learn some basic information about Project
Professional 2016 and explore the main
screen elements and Help facility.
USING PROJECT PROFESSIONAL 2016
Before you can use any project management software
effectively, you must understand the fundamental
concepts of project management, such as creating a work
breakdown structure (WBS), establishing
dependencies between activities, entering duration estimates,
assigning resources, and so on. This Appendix is
included with several project management text books by the
author. Make sure you review these concepts
before using Project Professional 2016 so you understand what
you are doing.
Before You Begin
This appendix assumes you are using Microsoft Project
Professional 2016 with Windows 10 and are familiar
with other Windows-based applications. Check your work by
reviewing the many screen shots included in the

17. steps, or by using the solution files that are available for
download from the companion website for this text
or from your instructor. Project Online Professional will also
work with these instructions.
NOTE: You need to be running Windows 7 or later to use
Project Professional 2016 and an up-to-date browser. Certain
features require internet connectivity. You can read more
detailed system requirements and download a free trial
from Microsoft. This powerful software is very expensive.
Microsoft sells Project Professional 2016 on its
website for $1,159.99 as of April 2016. Many colleges and
universities provide the software to students either
on campus or through remote access. If you can use remote
access, the main requirement is high speed
internet connectivity. Check with your instructor for details or
for alternatives if you do not have easy access
to the software. Project Online Professional is available as a
free trial as of June 2018.
This appendix uses several template files and a fictitious project
to illustrate how to use the software.
The WBS for the fictitious file uses the five project
management process groups as level 2 items (initiating,
planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing).
Standard deliverables under each of those
process groups are included. Each section of the appendix
includes hands-on activities for you to perform.
NOTE: To complete some of the hands-on activities in the
appendix, you will need to download files from
www.intropm.com or www.pmtexts.com to your computer.
When you begin each set of steps, make sure you
are using the correct file. Save the files you create yourself in a
different folder so you do not write over the
ones you download.

18. In addition, you will create the following files from scratch as
you work through the steps:
• 2016wbs.mpp
• 2016schedule.mpp
• 2016actuals.mpp
You will also use the following file to create a hyperlink:
• stakeholder register.doc
Using the free Trial of Project Online (as of June 2018):
If you plan to download the free trial, perform the following
steps:
1. Go to Microsoft’s website for free trials
(https://products.office.com/en-us/project/compare-
microsoft-project-management-software?tab=1) as of June
2018) and click on the Try button under
Project Online Professional. If that link does not work, check
for updates on www.intropm.com
or www.pmtexts.com. Also, be sure to read the preinstall
information, including the FAQs.
http://www.intropm.com/
Schwalbe Publishing, Copyright
2018 6

19. 2. Enter your account information. You do need a Microsoft
account. It used to be called a Windows
Live account, so you may already have one if you set it up for
Xbox, SkyDrive, Office 2013, Office
365 or other items. If you do not have a Microsoft account, set
one up for free.
3. Install Project Professional 2016. Try the 32-bit option first.
After downloading the exe file, run it
and enter the product key Microsoft provides when prompted. If
you have problems, contact your
instructor or Microsoft support. Follow instructions for the
Project Online Professional trial.
Next you will learn how to start Microsoft Project Professional
2016 and open a Blank Project.
Overview of Project Professional 2016
The first step to mastering Project Professional 2016 is to
become familiar with the major screen elements
and the Help facility. This section describes each of these
features.
Getting Started and Finding Help
To start Project Professional 2016:
1. Open Project Professional 2016. There are slightly different
methods for opening Project Professional
2016 depending on your operating system. For example, in

20. Windows 10, click the Start button on
the taskbar, All Apps, and then click Project 2016 or type it in
the search bar. Alternatively, a
shortcut or icon might be available on the desktop; in this case,
double-click the icon to start the
software.
2. Start a Blank Project. Click on Blank Project, the first option
as shown in Figure A-4. The left part of
the screen shows recent files (if you have any) and allows you
to open other projects as well. The
current date is the default project start date.
Figure A-4. Project Professional 2016 initial options – access
Blank Project
3. Learn about basic tasks in Project. Click the Tell me what
you want to do tab, type Help, click Get
started, and then click Basic tasks in Project, as shown in
Figure A-5.
NOTE: The term “tasks” is used in Project Professional 2016,
while PMI prefers to use the terms
deliverables and activities. Also, the name of the software is
often referred to as just Project or Project 2016.
Schwalbe Publishing, Copyright
2018 7

21. Figure A-5. Help on basic tasks in Project
4. Explore the basic tasks information. Click on Add tasks.
Scroll down to read about the other options.
You can also type in the search bar to explore other Help topics.
When you are finished, close the
Help window.
Understanding the Main Screen Elements
Review the main screen elements, as shown in Figure A-6. Look
at some of the elements of the screen.
• The Ribbon, tabs, and Quick Access toolbar are similar to
other Office applications.
• The timeline view is displayed below the ribbon. It shows a
high-level view of the project
schedule. You can easily copy the timeline into other software,
as most of your stakeholders may
want to see it and not the detailed schedule.
• The default manual scheduling for new tasks is on the lower
left of the screen. You can click that
option to switch to automatic scheduling.
• The default view is the Gantt chart view, which shows tasks
and other information in a calendar
display. (Recall from the note on the previous page that
Microsoft uses the term tasks instead of
deliverables or activities.) You can access other views by
clicking the View icon on the far left
side of the ribbon.
• The areas where you enter information in a spreadsheet-like
table are part of the Entry table. For

22. example, you can see entry areas for Task Name, Duration,
Start, Finish, and Predecessors.
• You can make the Entry table more or less wide by using the
Split bar. When you move the
mouse over the split bar, your cursor changes to the resize
pointer. Clicking and dragging the
split bar to the right reveals columns for Resource Names and
Add New columns.
• The first column in the Entry table is the Indicators column.
The Indicators column displays
indicators or symbols related to items associated with each task,
such as task notes or hyperlinks
to other files.
• The file name displays centered at the top of the screen. When
you open a Blank Project after
starting Project 2016, it opens a new file named Project1, which
is shown in the title bar. If you
open a second Blank Project, the name will be Project2, and so
on, until you save and rename
the file.
Schwalbe Publishing, Copyright
2018 8
Indicators column Tabs Entry table Gantt chart view
(default view)
Figure A-6. Project Professional 2016 main screen

23. Many features in Project Professional 2016 are similar to ones
in other Windows programs. For
example, to collapse or expand tasks, click the appropriate
symbols to the left of the task name. To access
shortcut items, right-click in either the Entry table area or the
Gantt chart. Many of the Entry table operations
are very similar to operations in Excel. For example, to adjust a
column width, click and drag between the
column heading titles.
Next, you will get some hands-on experience by opening an
existing file to explore various screen
elements. Project Professional 2016 comes with several
template files, and you can also access templates from
various websites.
EXPLORING PROJECT PROFESSIONAL 2016 USING A
TEMPLATE FILE
To open a template file and adjust screen elements:
1. Open a template file. Click the File tab, select New, click
Market Research Schedule, and then
click Create. These screen shots were taken on April 7, 2016, so
you can enter that date if you
like or leave the default as “Today” or the current date. Your
screen should resemble Figure
A-7. (Note: If you cannot find the template, you can download
it from www.intropm.com
and open it. To open an existing file, click the File tab, then
select Open, and browse to find
the file.)
2. Move the Split Bar. Move the Split Bar to the right so the
Task Name and Duration columns are

24. visible.
3. Expand a WBS item. Click on the arrow to the left of
Initiation Phase in the Task Name column to
reveal the activities under that WBS item.
4. View the second Note: Move your mouse over the yellow
Notes symbol in the Indicators column for
Task 7 to read it. You can insert notes for any task by using the
Notes icon on the ribbon.
Quick
Access
Toolbar
Ribbon
Timeline
Split bar
Manual/
automatic
scheduling
Schwalbe Publishing, Copyright
2018 9

25. Figure A-7. Market research schedule template file
To show different WBS levels and adjust the timescale:
1. Select Outline Level 1 to display WBS level 2 tasks. Click
the View tab and then the Outline button’s list
arrow, and then click Outline Level 1. Notice that only the level
2 WBS items display in the Entry table.
The black bars on the Gantt chart represent the summary tasks.
Recall that the entire project is normally
referred to as WBS level 1, and the next highest level is called
level 2.
2. Adjust the timescale. Click the Zoom out button (minus sign)
on the left side of the Zoom slider on
the lower left of the screen, as shown in Figure A-8, until you
see all of the symbols on the Gantt chart
(click it three times). Notice the timescale is now showing
quarters instead of weeks. It is often easier to
read the schedule when all of the symbols are visible. You can
also Zoom in when more details are
needed.
Outline button Timeline
check box Zoom out timescale
on slider bar
Figure A-8. Showing level 1 of the WBS and adjusted timescale
3. View all tasks. Click the Outline button and select All
Subtasks to see all of the items in the Task

26. Name column again. Remember that you can expand or collapse
tasks as desired.
Split bar
Notes
indicator
Schwalbe Publishing, Copyright
2018 10
To adjust, add multiple timelines, share, and print the timeline:
1. Remove the timeline and display it again. Click the Timeline
checkbox on the Ribbon to unselect it. Click it
again to display it. The timeline is different than the time scale
as it shows a high-level schedule on one
line while the timescale adjusts the time units for symbols on
the Gantt chart.
2. Add a new timeline: Click anywhere on the current timeline
(toward the left side of the screen), click
the Format tab, and then click Timeline Bar button under the
Timeline Tools. Drag the line between the
Timeline and Gantt Chart to reveal the second timeline. Your
screen should resemble Figure A-9.

27. Drag to see second timeline Timeline bar button
Figure A-9. Adding a second timeline.
3. Add tasks to the new timeline. Right-click on Task 2,
Requirements Gathering & Analysis, then click Add
to Timeline. Scroll down to also right-click on Task 7, Project
Charter Development, and then click Add
to Timeline to add it as well.
4. Adjust the dates and format of the new timeline. Right-click
anywhere in the second timeline, click Date
Range, and then click Set custom dates. Enter 4/1/04 for the
Start date and 5/1/04 for the finish dates.
(Remember that this is a template file from Microsoft, and it
had the dates entered …
ISDS 351 Principles of Information Systems : MS Project
Assignment
The Project:
You’ve decided to remodel the kitchen in your home. You have
some money in the bank, but you’re not sure how expensive this
project will be. To figure out how much the remodel will cost,
you need a couple of experts. First, you need someone to
design the new kitchen, and also you need someone who will do
the actual remodel work. You don’t know anyone who can do
either of those jobs, so you’ll have to do some work to find the
right people.
Once you have those two experts, you’ll need them to give you
a design and a price for the work. You will want to review and
decide if you want to approve the work or cancel the whole
project. The cost may include getting building permits, the cost
of removing all the old things from the kitchen, fees to take the
old kitchen items to the dump, the cost of buying and installing
new items, new paint, and throwing a party for all your friends

28. when you are done.
The items you want to replace are all of the cabinets, the
counter tops, and the floor tile. You also want to replace the
refrigerator, dishwasher, and stove. You’re not sure what
models you like or what they cost.
Add any other tasks to the plan that seem to be appropriate. For
this assignment don’t worry about the specific cost, but be sure
to account for the work tasks associated with those costs (e.g.
getting building permits).
Your Assignment:
Part 1
Create a Microsoft Project work breakdown structure (WBS) for
the kitchen remodel project listed above. You will need to list
the appropriate detail tasks, grouped into summary tasks. You
will need at least 20 tasks (probably a lot more) for this WBS.
Submit your completed project plan in the Titanium assignment.
Your submission must be a .mpp file from Microsoft Project
2013, 2016, or 2019.
When you submit your file, be sure to include your name in the
name of the file. For example: Perew_Mark_Kitchen_WBS
Part 1.mpp. There will be 2 points deducted if your name is left
off.
Part 1 will be due by 11:59 PM on Wednesday 3/11/2020
Part 2
After receiving feedback on Part 1, update you Microsoft
Project file. The tasks will need correct predecessors listed so
that the work happens in the right sequence. The tasks all need
start and finish dates. Each detail task must have a duration.
Make up an amount of time that makes sense to you.
When you submit your file, be sure to include your name in the
name of the file. For example: Perew_Mark_Kitchen_WBS
Part 2.mpp. There will be 2 points deducted if your name is left
off.
Part 2 will be due by 11:59 PM on Friday 3/20/2020
The purpose of this assignment is for you to learn how to create

29. a simple WBS with tasks, summary tasks, predecessors, start
dates, and durations. Make sure you have all of those included
in your submission, as required for each part.
Please have fun with this. Be creative. If you surprise me with
great details, there may be an extra point or two added to your
grade.
ISDS 351 - Spring 2020
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